Daddy-O & AZ Link Up To Run The Tables On Hip-Hop Like 2 Ballas (Audio)

In 1994, AZ made one of Hip-Hop’s greatest debut performances thanks to Nas’ single, “Life’s A B*tch.” Like Nas, who had spent years under the tutelage of Large Professor, Kool G Rap, Rakim, and others, his East New York, Brooklyn MC had also been mentored by a decorated veteran. Stetsasonic front-man Daddy-O helped AZ Tha Visualiza hone his skills, as discussed in a recent BET documentary celebrating The Firm co-founder.

In 2018, the two MCs come together on Daddy-O’s just released No Tableclothsalbum. It’s a BK affair on the song “Ballas.” It is one of 17 songs on the new LP.

“Ballas” starts with a little patois flavor before “The Odad” flexes his vocal chops on the harmonized hook. The Stetsa vet spits the first verse and sets the tone with lines like: “Low-key, we shun fame / Like guns with no name / We wild, we untamed / Alike but not the same.” Then AZ follows with his laidback flow and next level bars like: “A Mogul, mathematician / Acquisitions / Vintage dialogue, I’m the last edition / Driftin’, meditatin’ on Mediterranean reservations / Exchanging with vegans on vegetation.” The self-produced beat consists of an echoed out guitar coupled with a bouncing organ and thumping snares. As you might expect, this collab is a must-listen for Heads of any era.